Sidmouth’s biggest
The Lawn
Park or garden
5.2 ha (13 acres)1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Sidmouth
2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Touriste · Public domainAOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Sidmouth · parks, paths & countryside
Sidmouth is on the coast, on the South West Coast Path
The sea makes up 29% of the area within 5 km. The East Devon National Landscape reaches the edge of Sidmouth. 73% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Sidmouth grades A for the outdoors: #4 of 47 in Devon. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
2.6 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
73%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
62 km
2.9 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
60%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: East Devon National Landscape
The sea
29%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Sidmouth?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast29% of the area within 5 km is sea; 9 beaches mapped.Protected countryside60% of the land within 5 km is East Devon National Landscape.Hills with a view8 mapped viewpoints, about 8× as many per resident as the typical town its size.On a National TrailThe South West Coast Path passes through.
Sidmouth’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by protected countryside on the doorstep.
Outdoors grade
Sidmouth grades A for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Sidmouth, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A
Better than 91% of UK towns#4 of 47 in Devon · 2nd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space2.6 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
62out of
100
100
A park within a walk73%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
35out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape60%of the land within 5 km
94out of
100
100
Footpaths2.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
56out of
100
100
The sea29%of the area within 5 km
92out of
100
100
Graded, never part of the overall grade (like History and Civic life). It measures what is mapped: OS Open Greenspace leaves out woodland and open-access land that isn’t a park, and OpenStreetMap’s rural paths are more complete in some places than others.
Towns its size
Sidmouth is 2nd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 12,600 to 14,000 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Outdoors score: the share of UK towns each one beats
Footpath, km per km²
Sidmouth2.9
Towns its size3.1
Devon towns1.8
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Sidmouth2.6
Towns its size2.2
Devon towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Sidmouth73%
Towns its size78%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Sidmouth stands out most for park space per resident: only 19 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farncombe Surrey | A+ | 5.7 | 92% | 3.8 | 54% |
| 2 | Sidmouth Devon | A | 2.6 | 73% | 2.9 | 60% |
| 3 | Newhaven East Sussex | A | 1.9 | 84% | 2.9 | 50% |
| 4 | Rhosllannerchrugog Clwyd | A | 3.5 | 98% | 2.8 | 31% |
| 5 | Abergavenny Gwent | A | 3.2 | 83% | 3.1 | 60% |
| 6 | Wellington Somerset | A | 2.2 | 99% | 3.5 | 24% |
| 7 | Wick West Sussex | A | 1.3 | 91% | 3 | 25% |
| 8 | Stoke Gifford Gloucestershire | A− | 5.7 | 87% | 5.9 | 0% |
| 9 | Addlestone Surrey | A− | 4.3 | 90% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 10 | Heckmondwike West Yorkshire | A− | 2.9 | 100% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 11 | Churchdown Gloucestershire | A− | 2.2 | 92% | 3.7 | 11% |
| 12 | Wantage Oxfordshire | A− | 2.5 | 71% | 3.9 | 47% |
| 13 | Lees Greater Manchester | A− | 2.5 | 80% | 4.4 | 4% |
| 14 | Tavistock Devon | A− | 5.9 | 83% | 1.6 | 72% |
| 15 | Bacup Lancashire | A− | 2.5 | 94% | 5.5 | 0% |
| 16 | Audenshaw Greater Manchester | B+ | 4.6 | 93% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Berwick-upon-Tweed Northumberland | B+ | 2.5 | 62% | 2.7 | 1% |
| 18 | Verwood Dorset | B+ | 5.7 | 41% | 3.9 | 13% |
| 19 | Ringwood Hampshire | B+ | 2.3 | 78% | 3.2 | 43% |
| 20 | Chorleywood Hertfordshire | B+ | 2.7 | 37% | 5.7 | 22% |
| 21 | Poulton-le-Fylde Lancashire | B+ | 3.6 | 85% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 22 | Chalfont St Peter Buckinghamshire | B+ | 2.2 | 80% | 3.5 | 18% |
| 23 | Marple Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.4 | 64% | 3.8 | 5% |
| 24 | Poynton Cheshire | B+ | 2.2 | 79% | 3.7 | 14% |
| 25 | Royal Wootton Bassett Wiltshire | B+ | 1.6 | 98% | 3.1 | 10% |
| 26 | Enderby and Narborough Leicestershire | B | 1.9 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 27 | West Kirby Merseyside | B | 1.9 | 68% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 28 | Rushall and Shelfield West Midlands | B | 4.3 | 88% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 29 | Scawthorpe and Cusworth South Yorkshire | B− | 3.1 | 88% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Standish Greater Manchester | B− | 2.6 | 84% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 31 | Midsomer Norton Somerset | B− | 1.9 | 90% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 32 | Sheerness Kent | B− | 3 | 68% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 33 | Leicester Forest East and Kirby Muxloe Leicestershire | B− | 3.4 | 73% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 34 | Davenham Cheshire | B− | 1.3 | 88% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 35 | Knutsford Cheshire | C+ | 2.6 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 36 | Thame Oxfordshire | C+ | 2.9 | 91% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 37 | Buckley Clwyd | C+ | 2.6 | 82% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 38 | Street Somerset | C+ | 0.7 | 96% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 39 | Birtley Tyne and Wear | C | 1.4 | 71% | 4.6 | 0% |
| 40 | Flitwick Bedfordshire | C | 0.8 | 59% | 3.9 | 3% |
| 41 | Todmorden West Yorkshire | C | 0.8 | 72% | 6.8 | 0% |
| 42 | Hersham Surrey | C | 2.5 | 73% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 43 | Syston Leicestershire | C | 1.4 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 44 | Ferndown Dorset | C | 0.7 | 13% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 45 | Rhondda Mid Glamorgan | C− | 1.4 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Brough East Riding of Yorkshire | C− | 1.4 | 74% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 47 | North Walsham Norfolk | C− | 1.3 | 69% | 2 | 10% |
| 48 | Porth Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.8 | 63% | 2.2 | 0% |
| 49 | Kirk Sandall and Edenthorpe South Yorkshire | D | 2 | 75% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Halstead Essex | D | 0.6 | 73% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 51 | Amesbury Wiltshire | D | 1.8 | 73% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 52 | Northallerton North Yorkshire | D | 1.1 | 70% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 53 | Driffield East Riding of Yorkshire | D | 2.1 | 75% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 54 | Mountsorrel Leicestershire | D | 0.9 | 56% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 55 | New Rossington and Rossington South Yorkshire | D | 0.8 | 50% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 56 | Flint Clwyd | D | 1 | 56% | 1.2 | 0% |
| 57 | Whittlesey Cambridgeshire | D | 1.7 | 73% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 58 | Mountain Ash Mid Glamorgan | D | 1.4 | 56% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 59 | Wombourne Staffordshire | D | 0.8 | 78% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Balderton Nottinghamshire | D | 1.4 | 64% | 1.7 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Sidmouth’s built-up area.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Natural England / NRW
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Sidmouth
The biggest is The Lawn, 5.2 ha (13 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 5 named parks by size: 11 ha (27 acres) and 3 km of path
Parks & gardens 8.6 haPlaying fields 2.3 ha
The two biggest, The Lawn and Connaught Gardens, are 58% of the named green space and carry 2 km of path between them. 3 of the 5 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Historic park · Grade II
Connaught Gardens
Park or garden
1.2 ha (3 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi southfrom the centre
2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Sid Meadow
Park or garden
1.7 ha (4 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.4 mi south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Coburg Pleasure Ground
Playing field
2.3 ha (6 acres)
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi southfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
The Blackmore Coronation Gardens
Park or garden
0.6 ha (1 acres)
0.8 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
7 in 10 Sidmouth residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace).
Within 400 m (73%)Further (27%)
Sidmouth73%
Towns its size78%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 3,600 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 10 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 1,326 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
East Devon and Blackdown Hills both start about 6 miles from Sidmouth
Protected landscapes within 30 km, by direction and distance from the edge of the built-up area; circle size shows each one’s area. National Landscapes were called Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty until 2023.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
National Landscape
East Devon
At the edge west269 km²since 196360% of the land within 5 km
Official site60% of the land within 5 km of Sidmouth is National Park or National Landscape, more than 94% of UK towns. Dartmoor National Park covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Sidmouth is on the South West Coast Path
62 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Sidmouth and the kilometre around it, 2.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegionalLocal
Sid Valley Ring36.0 km
East Devon Way7.5 km
South West Coast Path (Section 44: Exmouth to Sidmouth)4.4 km
South West Coast Path (Section 45: Sidmouth to Seaton)3.6 km
Coleridge Link3.4 km
The South West Coast Path, a national route, passes Sidmouth. Close to home, the Sid Valley Ring has 36 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. The regional route here is the East Devon Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
A historic park in the middle of Sidmouth
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Sidmouth’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Connaught Gardens
1.2 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II). 2 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge.
IIClock TowerIIJacob's Ladder
Listed buildings insideThe LawnBridge and Toll House
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Sidmouth: May to July and September
The town’s 1991–2020 averages (Met Office HadUK-Grid) and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15 °C or more and little rain for the town.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.4 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 98 | 79 | 83 | 73 | 63 | 71 | 65 | 99 | 79 | 112 | 122 | 115 |
May is the driest month (63 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 122 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 26 nights a year. The climate in Sidmouth →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Sidmouth
29% of the area within 5 km of Sidmouth is sea. 9 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 1 with a name.
Jacobs Ladder Beach0.1 mi from town
DirectionsThe South West Coast Path passes the town.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
Things to do
8 viewpoints and 10 playgrounds
Mapped within 2 km of the town in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK town its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
8Viewpoints8.2× towns its size4Hills and peaks4× towns its size1Nature reserves1Picnic sites10Playgrounds0.5× towns its size2Campsites
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 8
Plus 8 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 4
Beacon Hill0.7 mi from town
DirectionsHigh Peak157 m (515 ft) · 0.9 mi from town
DirectionsBald Hill1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Delderfield Community Nature Reserve1.0 ha · 0.0 mi from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 10
Plus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Salcombe Regis C. & C. Park0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Newton PopplefordOttery St MaryWest HillBudleigh SaltertonBeerFenitonSidmouth
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidmouth | A | 2.6 | 73% | 60% |
| Newton Poppleford 2.7 mi | C | 1.4 | 44% | 60% |
| Ottery St Mary 4.4 mi | C− | 1.2 | 71% | 34% |
| West Hill 4.6 mi | D | 0.0 | 0% | 27% |
| Budleigh Salterton 5.5 mi | A− | 2.7 | 70% | 38% |
| Beer 6.3 mi | B | 1.6 | 50% | 43% |
| Feniton 6.8 mi | C+ | 1.3 | 100% | 17% |
Sidmouth grades higher for the outdoors than every neighbour in the table.
Questions about the outdoors in Sidmouth
What is the biggest park in Sidmouth?
The Lawn, 5.2 ha (13 acres), with 1.5 km of path. Connaught Gardens (1.2 ha) is second. 5 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Sidmouth near a National Park?
Yes. Dartmoor National Park begins 17 mi west of the town’s edge. It covers 956 km² and has been a National Park since 1951. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the East Devon National Landscape, at the edge of the town.
What are the best walks near Sidmouth?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Sid Valley Ring, East Devon Way and South West Coast Path (Section 44: Exmouth to Sidmouth).
How many people in Sidmouth live near a park?
73% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace). The typical UK town is 83%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Sidmouth?
May to July and September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Sidmouth are historic?
Connaught Gardens (Grade II) is on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Sidmouth good for walking?
About average for paths: 2.9 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 56% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 62% (2.6 ha per 1,000 residents).
How is the Outdoors Grade worked out?
From five measures, each placed among UK towns of 1,000 or more: public green space per resident, the share living near a park, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths per square kilometre, and the sea within 5 km. It is a character grade and isn’t part of Sidmouth’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Sidmouth’s outdoors figures come from
- Parks and green space: Ordnance Survey OS Open Greenspace (parks and gardens, playing fields, play spaces, and their access points). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Footpaths, walking routes, beaches and things to do: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License (ODbL), via Geofabrik, 16 October 2026.
- Historic parks, listed buildings and monuments: Historic England, National Heritage List for England, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Rain and temperature: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the town; daylight calculated from its latitude.
- The sea: ONS Countries (December 2024) boundaries clipped to mean high water. Residents near a park: ONS Census 2021 output areas.
- Grade: TownRatings’ Outdoors Grade, ranked against UK towns only.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.